Gonorrhea Might Be Killed by Mouthwash

Read about how mouth wash might be the next gonorrhea cure.

Ever since doctors said gonorrhea could very possibly become untreatable soon, preventing it has definitely been on our minds. Even though the bacteria has been getting stronger, researchers now think there might be a pretty simple way to stop the spread of gonorrhea, and it could be found at CVS.

Professor Christopher Fairley, from Monash University in Melbourne has been giving 58 male patients with detectable levels of the STD in their throats doses of either mouthwash or a salt water rinse, testing how much remains in their mouths before and after they swish. According to the BBC, the professor found that after using mouthwash, his patients had lower levels of the STD. Mouthwash seemed to reduce detectable gonorrhea bacteria levels.

More testing has to be done to see how long the reduced levels last and whether this is legit, but it certainly seems promising. Professor Fairley's study comes just as cases of gonorrhea are increasing, and becoming more serious. Since symptoms can often go undetected, and the STD can cause infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease in women and, in rare cases, lead to infertility in men, it's super important to prevent gonorrhea. Condoms work for intercourse, but we know that few people use condoms during oral sex. That's why this mouthwash breakthrough is so helpful if it holds up — it could be an easy and quick way for people to actually practice to engage in safe sex.

Gonorrhea is a super common STD that can impact anyone who's sexually active in any way. Especially as cases become more resistant to the typical drugs that treat it, we should all be practicing very safe sex to avoid any STDs or unwanted pregnancies.